Communities Foundation of Texas receives $1 Million donation from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas to aid COVID-19 Relief Efforts across Texas

Funding will help pay for personal protective equipment and childcare costs for first responders and assist with services for senior adults

News provided by

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

Apr 17, 2020, 10:00 ET

DALLAS, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in support of Texas community foundations and nonprofits, Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) today announced a $1 million donation from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) to help with COVID-19 relief efforts through their newly created Collaborative Grant Fund.

Communities Foundation of Texas is the largest community foundation in Texas and has strong relationships with more than 30 community foundations across the state that are uniquely positioned to identify the needs of nonprofits in their local communities.

"As community foundations, we share Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas' goal of investing in healthier communities and improving the health of Texans," said Monica Egert Smith, Chief Relationship Officer at Communities Foundation of Texas. "Like BCBSTX, our community foundations across Texas have a long history of supporting local communities and helping families and individuals thrive. This $1 million investment will help address some of Texas' most urgent needs related to COVID-19."

BCBSTX's COVID-19 Collaborative Grant Fund donation will support nonprofits statewide providing critical services such as: personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders, childcare for first responders and healthcare professionals, and services for senior adults, including meal and grocery delivery.

"Now, more than ever, it's important to support the areas where our communities need it the most, which is why we established the Collaborative Grant Fund," said Dr. Dan McCoy, president of BCBSTX. "Through these grants, we are working to move resources to community-based organizations that are directly supporting local residents and families who are most impacted by the emerging health, economic, and social impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. We applaud Communities Foundation of Texas and its effort to assist senior adults and provide personal protective equipment to first responders as well as help them with childcare costs."

The donation grant builds on BCBSTX's history of developing strong partnerships and supporting community-based organizations addressing social factors that impact health and well-being in Texas.

"We are grateful to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for their partnership," said Dave Scullin, President and CEO of Communities Foundation of Texas. "We both have strong local roots in Texas and are aligned and focused on providing resources and support to those most impacted by the pandemic."

To learn more or partner with Communities Foundation of Texas, visit cftexas.org or contact [email protected] or call 214-750-4229.

About Communities Foundation of Texas

With the goal of building thriving communities for all, Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) works locally and across the state through a variety of charitable funds and strategic initiatives. The public foundation professionally manages 1,000 charitable funds for individuals, families, companies and nonprofits in addition to powering several key initiatives such as Educate Texas at CFT, W. W. Caruth, Jr. Fund at CFT and CFT's North Texas Giving Day. CFT has awarded more than $2 billion in grants since its founding in 1953 and recently helped lead a number of COVID-19 community relief efforts, including the launch of North Texas Cares, a funder collaborative of 30+ funders utilizing a shared application for nonprofits to submit relief requests to, the North Texas Community Response Fund, North Texas Giving Tuesday Now, and the Get Shift Done for North Texas Fund. Learn more at cftexas.org. Follow CFT on Facebook (facebook.com/CFTexas), Twitter (twitter.com/GiveWisely) or Instagram (instagram.com/communitiesfoundationoftexas/).